President’s Notes – April 2018

Welcome Spring!

This is my favourite season. As a gardener, I am grateful for the #WealthOfChoice of garden centres & greenhouses in our area.

With spring arriving, so do our new volunteer Board members. I want to thank Garry Douglas, Chair of the Nominating Committee for working so hard to get a wonderful mix of volunteers from a wide range of industry sectors to represent the members for the 2018-19 year.

We calculated the average age of our Board members and it is 43 — young for any organization, especially a nonprofit. We are very proud to have well over 50% female representation on our Board of Directors, I follow a long line of female Presidents. Cindy Windover has been a terrific role model and I am so pleased that she has chosen to remain on the Board as our Past President. Thank you, Cindy!

Employment Standards Act Information Session

At the beginning of 2018, Bill 148 brought changes to the Employment Standards Act that many small business owners are still trying to navigate through to ensure their business is compliant. Learn more about what has changed.

The province-wide Ministry of Labour blitz will focus on the construction industry this year. Additionally, Eastern Ontario will also pay particular attention to independent grocery stores. Be sure you are prepared for these visits.

The Chamber hosted an ESA Information Session with guest speaker, Kelly Howe, Regional Program Coordinator with the Ministry of Labour. Kelly discussed aspects of the ESA that business owners often have questions about, and the recent changes as a result of Bill 148.

Young Professionals Enjoy Working in the Kawarthas

Young professionals Lisa Besseling of Stony Lake Furniture Co, Erin McLean of McLean Berry Farm, and Matt Logan of Logan Tree Experts, with moderator Julia Wood of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development (second from right), at the March 20th BOSS seminar.

The Kawartha Chamber hosted a Business Owners Sharing Solutions (BOSS) session in March with a panel of local business owners, who also happen to be recipients of the Chamber’s Young Professional Award of Excellence.

Erin McLean, Lisa Besseling, and Matt Logan, made up the panel and Julia Wood of Peterborough & the Kawarthas Economic Development moderated the discussion.

Ontario Budget 2018

The Government of Ontario has released its 2018 Budget, A Plan for Care and Opportunity.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) cautioned that while the Budget proposes new spending for economic development, it does nothing to alleviate rising input costs or tangibly address low business confidence. In fact, the Ontario Government has chosen to follow the federal government’s lead on changes to the tax code that will result in significant new taxes on Ontario’s employer community. Read more.

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce is rallying the province’s Chamber Network in 135 communities to call on the Ontario Government to remove two proposed tax reforms that will cost employers nearly half a billion dollars in new taxes from the 2018 Budget.

The Ontario Government announced in the 2018 budget that they will harmonize with the federal government’s eligibility criteria leaving over 20,000 employers paying $100 million more in Employment Health Tax over the next three years. In addition, businesses will be phased out of the small business deduction if they earn between $50,000 and $150,000 of passive investment income in the taxation year, resulting in an additional $350 million in new taxes for Ontario businesses over the next three years. Read more.

Small Business Access

Get support, information and advice to run your small business.

Get funding

Get business advice

Grow your business

Learn about the laws that affect your business

The Ontario Chamber of Commerce and Ontario Government have partnered on Small Business Access, a new single point of access that will make it easier for small businesses to access government services to get the support they need to run and grow their business.

Small business owners will be able to access resources such as hiring and training incentives for employers and information on permits or how to expand their business globally.

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Our mandate is to provide current events and community information to residents, visitors and cottagers in Peterborough and The Kawarthas and all surrounding communities — from Lindsay and the City of Kawartha Lakes to Campbellford, north to Haliburton and Bancroft and south to the Lakeshore — and all places in between.Contact UsOur Editorial Team